Protective element for safety shoes



Nov. 12, 1968 E. w. PETERSON 3,410,007

PROTECTIVE ELEMENT FOR SAFETY SHOES Filed Jan. 4, 1966 INVENTOR. ,Zrz'c h ffeiera'am ted Stats 3,410,007 PROTECTIVE ELEMENT FOR SAFETY SHOES Eric W. Peterson, 2300 NE. th Ave., Boca Raton, Fla. 33432 Filed Jan. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 518,629 3 Claims. (Cl. 36-77) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention pertains to footwear, more especially to boots or shoes of the so-called protective type wherein there is incorporated in the structure of the boot or shoe an element or elements designed to protect the foot of the wearer from crushing blows or penetration by sharp objects. Shoes of this type are customarily worn by policemen, firemen, miners, construction workers, or others whose duties exposethem to possible foot-injury from the fall of heavy objects, or demand that they traverse rough terrain; walk over the rubble of buildings razed by fire or hurricane; or who must deal with persons of criminal types accustomed to stamp upon or otherwise crush the toes of adversaries.

Protective devices of this general type have in most prior cases been confined to the toe portion of the boot or shoe, although the desirability of protecting the sole of the foot has been recognized. Protector of this kind have commonly been made by stamping sheet steel in a powerful die press to blank out the initially flat material and by a series of drawing dies to form it to a curved shape closely corresponding to the shape of the toe portion of the upper of the boot or shoe, but this mode of production demands the employment of expensive dies so that the tendency has been to limit the number of sizes and shapes of such protective devices. Thus, shoe manufacturers have been hampered in supplying trade with protective shoes in as wide a range of styles and sizes as would be desirable. Moreover, some ditficulty has been experienced in so firmly anchoring a toe protector of prior types within the bottom structure of the shoe or boot such as to prevent the toe protector from becoming displaced, during use, with consequent discomfort or even injury to the wearers foot. Since the customary toe protector is not closed at its bottom, it may be spread in response to heavy loads or blows and thus fail to provide the intended protection. Thus, in order to provide the desired rigidity in a toe protector it has been thought necessary to use heavy gauge material which adds substantially to the weight of the boot or shoe and which is so stiff and unyielding that the boot or shoe has no fiexibility in response to the ordinary stresses of use.

An object of the present invention is to provide a protector device of this general type which, because of its construction, may be produced more cheaply and in a wider range of sizes and styles than protectors heretofore customarily made; to provide a protector which, because of its construction, may be lighter in weight, and which, in a preferred embodiment, not only protects the toe of the wearer, but also the sole or a portion of the sole of the foot; which, by reason of its construction, may be anchored more securely to the basic structure of the shoe than has heretofore been readily accomplished; and which may be made by a forming operation from sheet material without recourse to expensive drawing dies,

3,410,007 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 ice thus making it possible to provide protectors in a wide range of styles and sizes and which are useful in a wider variety of shoes or boots than the usual prior protector.

In the attainment of this result, protectors according to the present invention are made from blanks cut from sheet stock by ordinary cutting dies and which, by reason of the shape of the blank thus prepared, may be formed to constitute the desired protector merely by a forming operation rather than die drawing. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a single die-cut blank is so shaped that when properly formed there results a unitary protector comprising a part which underlies the entire sole of the wearers foot and another, arched part which houses the wearers toes and wherein, by reason of this unitary construction the arched portion need not be of so heavy a stock as the usual toe protector since it is integrally joined to the part which underlies the foot and thus is of maximum stiffness, considering the weight of material employed. The invention further contemplates the provision of a stiffener element having means whereby it may be securely anchored to the basic bottom structure of the shoe as, for example, by means of stitches or metallic fasteners; while, in the preferred construction, that part of the protector which undelies the bottom of the foot may comprise two longitudinally extending foot supporting portions disposed in edge-to-edge relation and which may be left without union at their opposed edges if desired, thus avoiding an abnormal stiffening of the boot or shoe. On the other hand, if desired, the right and left portions of the foot protecting element may be permanently joined as by welding or by overlapping and connection by metallic fasteners.

Although a unitary construction, that is to say, one in which the entire protector is made from one integral blank, is in most cases preferred, it is contemplated that the foot portion may be die-cut from material as a single unitary element but devoid of portions designed to form the toe protector, and that the toe protector may be die cut as a separate element and bent to form the toe protector portion and then assembled with and united to the sole protecting portion, as by the use of overlapping tabs or the like, or by spot welding or similar procedure.

In the accompanying drawings wherein several embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the preferred form of foot protector comprising a bottom member designed to underlie the sole of the wearers foot and a toe portion or arch designed to house the wearers toes;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the protector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a blank which would usually be of bendable sheet metal, although it is contemplated that it may be of fiber or a thermoplastic synthetic which, when warmed may be bent to the desired shape;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 1, but illus trating an arrangement in which the toe protecting portion of the protector is made separately from the sole protecting partthese parts being united in any suitable manner, for example, by welding or metallic fasteners;

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating one embodi ment of the invention wherein a toe protector, only, i: provided, this toe protector being made by bending shee material and being provided with means whereby it ma be securely attached to the basic structure of the shoe;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a blank useful in forming thr toe protector of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevation, showing a protector of th general kind shown in FIG. 7, but with its bottom flange united;

FIG. is a view similar to FIG. 9, but illustrating a further modification; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrative of a toe protector of customary type which is made by forming metal in a die press.

For convenience in description, that portion of the protector device which houses the wearers toes is herein referred to as an arch or arched member and, in accordance with the customary nomenclature employed in describing an arch, the right and left lower portions of this member, which are joined to the sole protecting device, are referred to as the springs of the arch; while the top of the arch member, which would receive the force of a blow is referred to as the crown of the arch; and the maximum vertical dimension of the arch is referred to as the rise of the arch.

Referring to the drawings, in particular to FIGS. 1 to 4, the character P (FIG. 1) designates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral designating a sole protecting member and the numeral 21 designating the arched toe protecting member designed to house the toes of the wearer of the shoe. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this arched member 21 does not extend to the extreme forward end B of the sole protecting member 20, but has a substantially vertical edge 23 spaced rearwardly of the edge E of the sole protecting member so that it is open at its forward end is terminated at its rear end at a vertical edge 24. Since the toe of the wearer does not project to the end of the shoe, removal of the small piece in the front, which is necessary to this invention, will not adversely alfect the safety aspects of the shoe. The protector device shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is of unitary construction and of sheet material, for example a sheet metal or a stiff, hard sheet plastic having the desired characteristics, and is constituted by a blank B, such as shown in FIG. 4, comprising a central portion C and two wings W and W which initially diverge from each other rearwardly of the central portion C to which they are integrally joined. The central portion C of this blank B has edges 23a and 24a which, in the completed device, form the edges 23 and 24, respectively, of the arched toe protecting memberthe toe protecting member being open at its top, thus permitting its formation by a mere bending of the material. The wings W and W have outer rectilinear edges 26 and 27 respectively, the two wings collectively constitute the foot protecting member. In the completed device the edges 23 and 24 of the wings are in substantial contact along the line 22 (FIG. 3) extending from front to rear of the foot protecting part of the device and approximately midway between the edges 28 and 29 of the latter. The rectilinear edges of the wing members may be permanently joined in any suitable manner as by welding or otherwise according to the type of material employed. One alternate method of uniting the wing members would be to design them to have overlapping margins which could be riveted or otherwise fastened. The wing members, as here shown, lie in the same plane and would normally be horizontal and may here be referred to as perpendicular to the rise of the arch 21. As shown, the wing members have edges 28 and 29 to provide the foot protector with an outer contour similar to that of an insole. While, as here shown, the wing members constituting the right and left portions of the foot protecting member are of such dimensions that the sole protecting member underlies substantially the entire area of the wearers foot, it is contemplated that they may be of dimensions such that the protector device underlies only a portion of the wearers foot.

If desired, and to assist in anchoring the protector device to the bottom structure of the shoe in which it is incorporated, a series of holes H may be formed along the edges 26 and 27, either during the die cutting of the blank B or at some later time, for the reception of suitable fastener elements such as stitches or metallic fasteners, thereby to prevent the protector device from shifting 4 relative to other parts of the shoe during use. Alternatively, holes H may be formed along the edges 28 and 29 for the reception of fastening elements.

Because of the fact that the springs X of the arch 21 (FIG. 2) are integrally joined to the foot protective device and because the latter is of fixed dimensions transversely, when complete, it is impossible for the springs of the arch 21 to separate in response to downward force applied to the crown of the arch, and thus it is permissible to employ sheet material very substantially thinner and more flexible than that which is necessary in forming a protector device of the type T illustrated in FIG. 11, such as is customarily employed and which, because it is open at the bottom, necessitates the employment of very heavy stiff material to prevent its being crushed by a heavy blow or massive weight striking or pressing upon the crown of the arched protector. Thus, it is possible to provide shoes of types not ordinarily provided with protectors with the protector of the present device because of its lightness and relative flexibility as compared with the customary type of protector.

While the one-piece construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 is preferred, it is within the scope of th invention, for example if it be desired to employ material of different thickness at different parts, or to use different materials, to provide a protector, such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in which the sole protective member 32 is a part separate and independent of the arched toe protective device 21a which, in this instance, is provided with integral tabs 33 so disposed as to lie in a horizontal plane and to underlie the margins of the sole protecting device 32 to which these tabs may be secured as by welding or a proper adhesive, or stitching or other means. This arrangement requires less material than that above described, since the blank B is somewhat wasteful of the sheet material employed. It is further contemplated, as within the scope of the present invention, that a toe protective device V may be provided even though the shoe be not provided with a sole protective device. This toe protective device V (FIG. 7) may be made from a unitary piece of sheet material such as indicated at D (FIG. 8), the piece of material being of arcuate shape, having holes H at its opposite ends and is of a material which may be bent so as to provide the arched protector V and so that the end portions of the blank D, as indicated at 37a, 37b, lie in the same plane. Tht parts 37a and 37b may abut in edge-to-edge relation or be slightly separated as desired, these parts being integral with the arched portion since they are made from a single piece of material. The holes H provide for the reception of fastener elements which may be stitches (not shown) uniting the otherwise completed protector to the bottom structure of the shoe in which it is incorporated or the holes may receive metallic fasteners in the nature of staples connecting corresponding holes at opposite sides of the crevice between the adjacent edges of the parts 37a and 37]) whereby these parts are permanently united and prevented from separation. In the similar device V of FIG. 9, the adjacent edges of the members 37m and 3711 are rigidly united by welding to an underlying plate Um. Thus, this device, like those previously described, may be of relatively thin sheet material and is thus available for use in shoes of types which are not ordinarily provided with protective devices.

An alternative construction is illustrattd in FIG. 10, in which the toe protector comprises a flat bottom element 32m integrally joined to wings K and K which curve upwardly and inwardly to form the arch and whose abutting upper edges may be left free from each other, for flexibility, or united, as by welding with or without a joining plate such as shown at P.

Devices as hereinabove described (FIGS. 3 and 5) provide a greater area of protection than does the conventional safety toe and have greater strength, with referufacture of safety shoes; and may be made at substantially lower cost and with less investment in machinery than the customary protector.

The exposed edges of the material employed may be thinned down as required in the interests of styling and/ or use of manufacture. Typical means might be coining or swaging.

While certain desirable embodiments of the invention have herein been disclosed by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications both of materials, procedures and constructions which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A crush-resistant protective device for use in a safety shoe, said device consisting of a unitary piece of hard, stiff sheet material comprising a central portion contoured to constitute a toe-protecting arch open at front and rear, and a pair of elongate wings integrally joined to said central part at the opposite ends, respectively, of the latter, and which diverge from their points of union with said central part, said wings having complementally shaped outer edges, said outer edges substantially contacting one another to form a sole protecting portion, the opposite edges of the wings being so shaped that the sole protecting portion has a peripheral contour approximating that of the sole of the shoe in which said device is incorporated.

2. A protective device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the rectilinear edges of said wings have therein holes for the reception of fasteners whereby said ends are so anchored as to prevent relative motion thereof.

3. A crush-resistant protecting device for use in safety shoes which comprises a toe protecting arch, open at both ends, and sole protecting means which, when the device is in use, lies in a substantially horizontal plane, said protecting device consisting of a single piece of hard, stiff sheet material having a central portion which constitutes the arch, and a pair of elongate wings, each integrally united to one of the respective springs of the anch, each wing having a rectilinear edge and a contoured edge, the wings being of like shape and dimensions and having their rectilinear edges in abutting relationship with each other, and means permanently uniting said rectilinear edges to form a sole protecting part, and the contoured edges of the wings being of such shape that said edges collectively impart to the foot protecting part of the device a peripheral contour substantially like that of the part of the sole of the shoe in which the device is incorporated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 9,514 12/1880 Stockwell 3677 1,616,281 2/1927 Reece 3672 1,859,452 5/1932 Mellerio 36--77 2,360,951 10/1944 La Chapelle 3677 2,409,880 10/ 1946 McMurray 3677 2,927,384 3 /1960 Duffy 3672 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,211,789 10/1959 France. 1,353,943 1/ 1964 France.

909,070 4/ 1954 Germany.

15,095 1898 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

0 ALFRED R. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

